San Diego Navy warship to recover Artemis II astronauts

The USS John P. Murtha will deploy to retrieve the Orion space capsule and crew after Friday's splashdown off the California coast.

Apr. 7, 2026 at 2:19am

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A bold, abstract painting in earthy tones depicting the geometric shapes and waveforms of a spacecraft's atmospheric re-entry, conceptually representing the Artemis II mission's splashdown recovery off the California coast.The USS John P. Murtha's critical role in recovering the Artemis II astronauts and spacecraft will provide invaluable data to ensure the safety of future lunar missions.San Diego Today

The San Diego-based USS John P. Murtha amphibious transport dock ship will be deployed to recover the Artemis II astronauts after their spacecraft splashes down off the coast of San Diego later this week. The Navy ship has unique capabilities to assist NASA in the recovery of the Orion space capsule and the four-person crew.

Why it matters

The Artemis II mission is a critical step in NASA's Artemis program to return humans to the moon, and the successful recovery of the astronauts and capsule will provide valuable data to ensure future Artemis missions can be executed safely.

The details

Sailors assigned to the USS John P. Murtha have been undergoing specialized training to prepare for the recovery operation. A Navy helicopter squadron based at Naval Air Station North Island will assist in tracking the capsule during its atmospheric re-entry, and Navy divers will recover and transport the Orion spacecraft from the water to the ship's deck.

  • The Orion space capsule is set to splash down off the coast of San Diego on Friday at around 5 p.m.
  • On Monday, the Artemis II astronauts traveling around the far side of the moon set a new record for the farthest distance from Earth ever reached by humans.

The players

USS John P. Murtha

An amphibious transport dock ship based in San Diego that has unique capabilities to assist in the recovery of the Artemis II spacecraft and crew.

Capt. Erik Kenny

The commanding officer of the USS John P. Murtha, who stated the ship's mission is a fitting tribute to its namesake, Congressman John P. Murtha.

NASA

The U.S. space agency leading the Artemis program to return humans to the moon, which includes the Artemis II mission that will be supported by the USS John P. Murtha recovery operation.

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What they’re saying

“We are honored to carry on his legacy by supporting NASA and the Artemis II mission.”

— Capt. Erik Kenny, Commanding Officer, USS John P. Murtha

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

The recovery of the Artemis II astronauts and spacecraft by the USS John P. Murtha represents a critical milestone in NASA's ambitious Artemis program to return humans to the moon, providing valuable data and experience to ensure the safety of future lunar missions.